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About Gaelic Football Guide
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Gaelic Football Guide is an independent reference site that explains Gaelic football to people who are new to it: the rules, the scoring, the positions, the pitch and how long a match lasts. Every rule and number on the site is taken from the GAA's own published rules and dated, so you can see when we last checked it.
The playing rules we explain come from the GAA Official Guide Part 2 (April 2026 edition). We cite other primary sources alongside the facts they support.
Who the site is for
Most of our readers have never played the game. Some are about to watch their first match, some have moved to a town with a GAA club, and some are coaches, parents or line markers who need one exact figure. We write for all of them in plain English, and we keep each page to one subject so the answer is easy to find.
We are not a news site and we do not cover results, fixtures or transfers. For those, the GAA's website and your county board are the places to go.
How we check facts
Our process is the part of this site we care about most, so here it is in full.
- Primary sources first. For pitch markings we use the GAA Field of Play specification. Where the Guide is silent, we use official GAA publications and say so.
- One register of facts. Every number on the site sits in a single internal register with its source, the exact rule reference and the date we checked it. A figure that is not in the register does not go on a page.
- Dates you can see. Each page shows the date its facts were last checked, and each rule is linked to its source in the text, not only at the bottom.
- Disagreements named. Where sources disagree, including where an older GAA explainer differs from the current rule book, we say so on the page and link to both. We name the version in force and why.
- Uncertain facts left out. If we cannot confirm something, such as the pronunciation of an Irish word, we leave it off rather than guess.
Gaelic football's rules change. The 2026 season changed scoring, kick-outs, marks and the throw-in, and the GAA's Congress can amend rules every year. We re-check every page against the GAA's publications at the start of each season and whenever a rule change is announced.
Sources we use
- GAA Official Guide Part 2, April 2026: the playing rules
- GAA Field of Play specification: pitch markings
- GAA report of the Special Congress, 4 October 2025: the rules in force from 2026
- GAA Football Review Committee explainer: background to the 2025 trial rules
- foclóir.ie: Irish-language terms
- The official rule books of the other football codes, for comparisons: IFAB, World Rugby, the AFL and the NFL
Where we cite a news report or an independent analysis instead of a GAA document, the page says so next to the figure.
What we do not do
We do not sell anything. There are no adverts or affiliate links on the site. We are not affiliated with the Gaelic Athletic Association; the official rules are always the GAA's own.
Found a mistake?
Tell us. Send the page, the sentence and, if you can, the rule or source that shows the correct version to contact@gaelicfootballguide.com. When we fix a fact, we update the checked date on that page.
Send us a message
You can also use this form for a question or a correction. We use the details you provide only to read and reply to your message.